PERMATANG PAUH: Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan yesterday told his critics, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to learn about the goods and services tax (GST).

He also hit out at Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin and academician Associate Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Agus Yusoff.

Earlier this week, the duo criticised Ahmad for saying that Dr Mahathir does not understand the GST.

Dr Mahathir had called for the GST to be scrapped.

“Dr Asri and Dr Agus don’t understand the GST, just like Dr Mahathir. That is all I can say.

“I hope those who advise and report to Dr Mahathir will give him the right picture. Don’t give him the wrong information,” he told reporters here.

“Kesian orang tua tu (pity the old man),” he said.

Ahmad said the GST had brought tax rates down, such as the individual income and corporate taxes.

He said if Dr Mahathir, Mohd Asri and Mohamad Agus knew about that, they would also support the GST.

“So for Dr Agus and Dr Asri, I recommend you learn more about the GST before you call me stupid and so on,” he said.

When asked if he wants them to take a lesson from him, he replied: “Not necessary. It is enough for them to check the website that explains how the GST works.”

The remark drew criticism from Mohd Asri, who posted on Facebook that he now wonders whether a fool could be appointed to the Cabinet.

“Can the less intelligent be given important posts, such as a minister and the like?” he wrote in a Facebook post, without mentioning Ahmad.

Mohamad Agus also posted a sarcastic statement about Ahmad on his Facebook page, suggesting that the latter and Dr Mahathir engage in a debate to determine which of them does not understand the GST.

“When Datuk Ahmad Maslan said Tun Dr Mahathir does not understand the GST, I think both should have an open debate. I want to see who understands better.

“What I am sure about is the GST doesn’t reduce prices of goods as claimed by Datuk Ahmad Maslan. So, which of the two is the one who really doesn’t understand?” he posted.

Ahmad also denied that there was a gag order for him to stop highlighting the GST.

“I was not told by the leadership to stop talking about the tax. If I stop talking about the GST, the opposition wins,” he said when commenting on a report that a gag order had been placed on him. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 30, 2015.